NIDA Network Evolution WG: Exploring the Path to Future Networks

2025-04-14

Introduction to the Series Report：

Working Groups (WG) are the engine driving the development and implementation of international standards, pooling the expertise of global specialists and using consensus to drive technical specifications and industry practices in specific fields. Within the Hetao International Organization Headquarters, dozens of working groups exhibit a vibrant landscape of high specialization and domain diversity. To overcome the inherent challenges of cross-regional and cross-time-zone collaboration, the digital collaboration platform AllianceHub plays a crucial role. Through integrated online tools, it streamlines communication and decision-making processes, enabling global experts to concentrate on core deliberations, improving the quality and value density of outcomes, effectively underpinning the efficient operation of the Hetao working group ecosystem, and establishing global innovation influence.

NIDA Network Evolution Working Group

Exploring the Path to Future Networks

As a key component of the Network Innovation And Development Alliance (NIDA), the work of the Network Evolution Working Group is closely aligned with the alliance’s overarching mission. NIDA is dedicated to "defining the evolution path of global internet infrastructure, establishing network construction standards, and driving upgrades in data communication industries." The Network Evolution Working Group plays a pivotal role in achieving this vision. With intelligence becoming the dominant trend in societal development, industries across the board are accelerating their digital transformations. Future data communication networks must evolve from connecting people to connecting vast numbers of devices and objects, presenting unprecedented challenges to existing network infrastructures. Against this backdrop, the Network Evolution Working Group has assumed a central mission: to thoroughly explore and clearly define the overall evolution goals and roadmap for future data communication networks. This involves researching critical topics such as network generation segmentation, application scenario analysis, and architectural design, with the aim of providing clear guidance for the evolution of data communication networks to meet the diverse and high-quality demands of the intelligent era, thereby driving the sustainable and healthy growth of the entire communication industry.

To effectively fulfill the responsibility of defining the evolution direction of future data communication networks, the Network Evolution Working Group brings together leading experts from China’s information and communication technology sector. Gao Wei from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) serves as the chairman, while vice-chairmen and members include senior experts from core operators like China Unicom and China Telecom, leading equipment manufacturers such as Huawei, ZTE, and Centec, as well as specialized research institutions like the Jiangsu Future Network Innovation Research Institute. This diverse composition ensures that the working group’s discussions balance national-level strategic planning, practical network operational needs, cutting-edge technology R&D capabilities, and forward-looking research on future networks. It is this integration of industry, academia, research, and application expertise that lays a solid foundation for the working group to develop a forward-thinking yet practical network evolution roadmap, thereby strongly supporting the completion of its core mission.

As Chairman Gao Wei emphasized: "Given the enormity of the challenges and the diversity of directions, top-level design and path planning are essential. The core mission of our working group is to explore and define clear evolution goals and roadmaps for future data communication networks by leveraging the collective wisdom of industry, academia, research, and application. This includes scientifically segmenting network generations, clarifying core characteristics, application scenarios, and system architectures at each stage. Our work aims to provide the industry with a shared 'navigation map' to prevent fragmented evolution, consolidate industry consensus, and guide efficient resource allocation toward the R&D and deployment of key technologies. Its core value lies in guiding the continuous upgrade of fixed networks and broader digital infrastructure, ensuring that network development keeps pace with—or even anticipates—the needs of the times, thereby laying a robust network foundation for emerging economic paradigms like New Quality Productivity."

Currently, the Network Evolution Working Group is focused on delivering a key group standard: Next Generation Network for 5.5G Era (NET5.5G) Deployment Guideline. This standard will systematically outline how future data communication networks can support New Quality Productivity scenarios, emphasizing generational characteristics, networking architectures, key technologies, and deployment solutions represented by concepts such as Linked Computing and Linked Intelligence. The goal is to provide clear evolution guidance to the industry, build consensus, and accelerate the implementation and development of next-generation network technologies.

The daily operations of the NIDA Network Evolution Working Group are fully supported by the digital collaboration platform AllianceHub, which facilitates tasks such as submitting technical proposals, organizing online meetings, and conducting consensus voting. Individuals interested in engaging with the working group, participating in discussions, or learning more can interact via the AllianceHub platform. Alternatively, you can reach out to the working group by emailing the official contact address: contact@nida-alliance.com.